Empara Mi Interview - it's takeover time
By Jimmy G
“A great song gives you a feeling, whatever that feeling might be. In my house, we call it ‘the feels’. If it isn’t giving me the feels, then what’s the point? ...For me, a good song is a song that can provoke an emotion you weren’t feeling before listening to it.”
"A great song gives you a feeling, whatever that feeling might be. In my house, we call it ‘the feels’. If it isn’t giving me the feels, then what's the point? Something can be clever and well constructed and artistic but if I can't get anything from it I won’t listen to it again. So for me, a good song is a song that can provoke an emotion you weren’t feeling before listening to it".
We recently had the chance to talk rising star, Empara Mi, a Guernsey-born singer/song-writer whose music has been heard in Love Island, Netflix originals, Marvel TV shows and big BBC dramas.
With music that is deeply atmospheric, Empara Mi crafts a soundscape that instantly immerses you within a setting, whether it is an intense action standoff or a moment of horror and terror, there's something ingenious about how Empara Mi is able to place her listener in very unique environments using only her music.
Empara Mi- Instagram.
Talking to Empara Mi gave Run That Again a chance to discuss how she's developed this talent.
“I see life a bit like a movie sometimes and I’m just writing various theme tunes to my short films," Empara Mi claims candidly.
"Thinking of the visuals as I’m writing helps me visualise the lyrics and the story I’m trying to tell, not just what rhymes at that moment. I also like to tell a different side of the story in the visuals that you might not pick up in the song, it makes it fun for me because I’m never sure if people actually know what I’m talking about, so I like to play with that a bit".
When we ask her what her fans can expect from upcoming songs and if they continue this trend, she is quick to affirm.
"My song NO MORE that’s coming with my album on the 26th is basically me paying homage to every Tarantino movie ever," Empara Mi says. "I wanted the drama, the violence and the humour all in one song, which are all the elements I love about Tarantino's films.”
“It’s not an alter ego as I don’t feel like I’m pretending to be someone else, I just don’t feel like the same person I was growing up...I wanted something powerful that allowed me to wear all my different faces whenever I wanted”
Empara Mi - Instagram.
We ask her about her name "Empara Mi", Latin for "seize" or "take over" and ask her if she can tell us more about why she chose it as a stage name.
"I don’t feel like my real name makes any sense to the person I feel like I am when I’m writing or performing. It's not an alter ego as I don’t feel like I'm pretending to be someone else, I just don’t feel like the same person I was growing up. When people call me by my full name, I just feel like I’m being told off at school again, I wanted something powerful that allowed me to wear all my different faces whenever I wanted".
It's fitting due to Empara Mi's experience of the music industry so far, leading her to launch her own record label due to a "need to control over my own life and career", with Empara Mi claiming that she hopes that it can be a vehicle for other artists where they can develop their talent in a safe and encouraging environment.
”I didn’t have any experience of anyone I knew in music before I signed to a label" Empara Mi reveals, "so my world was pretty much turned upside down when I realised it wasn’t a straight path to success.
Empara Mi - Instagram
“I’ve spent years trying to figure it out and the most happy and creative I have been is after going out on my own and creating and releasing the music I always wanted to".
When we ask Empara Mi about the idea of characters and personas in the music industry and if she feels the need to conform to a sort of stage-character, she gives an articulate response. "I think it's important, to be honest with what you want to be and who you are as an artist, but I do see the contradiction, as there is a lot of pressure to be an extreme characterisation of yourself which is not always genuine.
“For me, I like to keep myself to myself a lot so I don’t need to share everything online and rather just share my music as that's what I want people to invest in more than who I am at home. I think there is something in keeping a part of you for yourself".
When we ask her what advice she would give to those starting in the industry, she affirms "protect yourself, listen to yourself, nobody knows you or what you want more than you and no one is going to work harder than you to get it".